There are various ways to value property in a marital estate. When a trial is pending, your Miami family lawyer will want to use the most credible evidence possible to buttress your valuation opinion. However, in a mediation or negotiation, the only credibility requirement is that which will satisfy both parties.

There are various degrees of credibility. As a Miami family lawyer can advise you, proportioning the valuation process to satisfy the parties or a judge is a process of gathering more and more evidence. Basically, the parties gather and refine various degrees of evidence until the parties reach a mutually agreeable conclusion. This process can be viewed as an evolution from the least credible evidence to the most credible.

For example, assessing the valuation of a motor boat may advance through various tiers from the least credible evidence to the most credible:

• Least Credible: Parties’ opinions. Each party gives his or her opinion, without any real substantiation, of what they think the boat is worth.
• More Credible: Broker’s opinion. A boat broker or other person experienced in boat sales gives an opinion as to the boat’s value.
• Even More Credible: Appraisal. A person trained in appraising boats is paid to give a value.
• Most Credible: Sale. The most credible conclusion of value for marital estate division purposes is the actual sale of the boat.

The parties may need to climb up to another credibility tier when they do not have adequate information about the value at issue. A valuation based on insufficient information could lead to an unfair division of property.

For advice about the specific issues in your divorce, contact Miami family lawyer Miriam Montalvo.

Any knowledgeable Miami family lawyer will tell you that there are a number of things you should do in order to make the divorce process go a bit smoother. For example, you should start out by making a comprehensive list of everything in your home, and you may want to attach photos (with a date stamp) of the more valuable items. Also, you might want to consider getting a post office box and opening a new email account in an effort to ensure your privacy. Further, you should change all the passwords to things such as your bank accounts, online shopping sites, social networks and ATM cards.

With respect to your career, your Miami family lawyer will advise you to alert your boss to the fact that you are currently going through a divorce, and if you miss any work, offer to make up those hours where possible. Also, if you currently depend on your spouse’s health insurance, you should look into the cost and availability of continuing such coverage, as well as independent insurance costs.

Furthermore, you should be sure to keep up with your recordkeeping, and collect and organize any information related to the things you own and what you owe for things as well. You will have to have a complete record of your finances, tax returns, bank statements for a certain period of time, insurance policies and investment account information.

And finally, your Miami family lawyer will probably suggest that you start considering which assets you would like to keep and which you would be willing to let go. If you need a Miami family lawyer, please call Miriam Montalvo for a free consultation.

One of the toughest things to overcome in your Miami divorce is the grief that is associated with the breakup of your marital relationship.

In psychology, there are six stages of grief:

1. Shock. “Divorce? What just happened?”
2. Denial. “This divorce cannot be happening to me. Things will get back to normal soon.”
3. Anger. “How dare you do this to me? Even if you get the divorce you want, you’re going to pay a huge price for what you did. You’ll lose everything—including the children!”
4. Bargaining. “Just give me one more chance; I will change, I promise! Maybe we can wait until the children are grown up.”
5. Depression. “I’m so sad, I just don’t care about anything anymore. You can take the children and everything else away from me. I just don’t want to live.”
6. Acceptance. “It’s OK. I’m going to survive this divorce and start a new life.”

Keep in mind that although it’s possible to put off the grieving process, it’s impossible to speed things up. For example, you can’t just tell yourself to “get over it” and succeed. Recovering from grief takes time.

In addition, the six stages do not necessarily go in that order. Sometimes, people even go back and forth through the stages of grief. It’s also possible to get stuck in the grieving process. If you’re unable to overcome your anger or depression, you should work this out with a qualified expert.

Going through a divorce can be extremely difficult and frustrating: not only do you have to deal with the legal aspects of breaking up the marital relationship, but you have to deal with the emotional aspects, as well. Let the caring and dedicated Miami family lawyers at the Montalvo Law Firm help you by handling the legal aspects. For a free initial consultation, fill out the form on this page.

During a divorce, there will undoubtedly be plenty of chances for the parties to fuss and fight. In times of conflict, yourMiamifamily lawyer will likely advise you that you can either choose to participate in the constant verbal sparring matches, or you can decide to utilize some of the proven techniques that have been used in all sorts of instances to lessen the stress, rage, and overall cost of your divorce.

You may choose to start off with a simple change in the way in which you speak to your spouse. It’s clear that your current way of communicating doesn’t work, so you have nothing to lose by making a simple adjustment to your conversation methods. Use some of the common calming techniques before speaking, such as taking deep breaths or counting to five. Also, take time to think about what it is that you are trying to achieve and what you need to say in order for you to attain your objective. If necessary, make notes of what you would like to say.

During times of conflict, it is also important to focus on the pertinent matter at hand and its possible solutions, not on the person that you are being forced to deal with.  If you take time to focus, calm down, and listen, it is possible that you could uncover important information that you may not have otherwise uncovered. If you would like to utilize the services of a Miami family lawyer, contact the Montalvo Law Firm by filling out the form on this page for a free consultation.